Crusaders win Elk County Soccer Tournament

September 9, 2012

The Elk County Catholic Crusaders won the Elk County Soccer Tournament with a 4-0 victory over Redbank Valley Saturday at Francis S. Grandinetti Elementary School.
"I think the kids are happy to carry on a tradition," Elk County Catholic coach Adam Bailey said.
The first 25 minutes of the match were fairly evenly played. Redbank Valley had a pair of corner kicks in the first five minutes but were unable to get any good scoring chances out of them. ECC would take a 1-0 lead with 14:54 left in the first half as Ian Herzing would get the first goal.
It only took 34 seconds for Elk County Catholic to double the lead as Austin Minard would score on a short shot for a 2-0 lead. The Crusaders would keep the offensive pressure on throughout the next five minutes and it would lead to an ECC penalty kick which would be converted by Ben Herbstritt for a 3-0 lead with seven minutes left in the half.
"I think we kind of got our stride, that's what we're doing," Bailey said. "Maybe we saw some things we could do and executed."
Early in the second half, Herzing converted a chip from Minard for his second goal of the game and a 4-0 lead for the Crusaders.
"We're happy with the win," Bailey said. "With a wet and sloppy field, there's always a lot to work on."
ECC plays at Port Allegany for a 4 p.m. match this afternoon.
"We did lose quite a few seniors to graduation last year," Bailey said. "They are working to build and see what we can do."
The consolation game saw Ridgway defeat St. Marys 3-2 in overtime.